its been a long, long time
by ahundredyears-itsnothing
Summary: "He can't remember the last time he's felt this way. Where the world keeps spinning and time keeps moving and Steve is stuck in one spot" A few months after the events of CAWS, Steve and the other Avengers are up against an enemy even they don't think they can defeat when suddenly the miracle they need arrives in the form of an old friend.


**Hey! So this idea has been floating around my head ever since I saw this post on tumblr, post/87546067854/imagine-if-in-the-avengers-2-at-one-point-steve**

**The title comes from an old song from 1945 that was around during the end of the war. For now it's just a one shot but it might become a story, though I'm not sure, it depends on a few things. Anyway enjoy~  
Also if the link doesn't work I am terribly sorry about that! **

**Disclaimer: **Nothing belongs to me, all of the characters belong to Marvel.

* * *

It happens during a battle against some mad scientist and his army of droids sent to kill and destroy everything in their path. They're using weapons that none of them have ever seen before, weapons that are stronger and more powerful than anything they've ever been up against. They've been at it for hours but it seems like days, and their bones feel like they're breaking with every hit, punch and dodge they make. But nothing they're doing seems like it'll stop all the droids, with every one they kill five more takes it's place. They're hopelessly, hilariously, outgunned and it doesn't look like anything could get worse. Or better. None of them wants to be the who calls it quits. So Steve keeps throwing his shield, Natasha keeps firing her guns, Thor continues hitting enemies left and right, The Hulk keeps smashing, Tony keeps shooting, and Clint keeps firing arrows. They've never been quitters but right now anything seems possible.

It doesn't matter to them that they know one of them cannot, will not, be able to walk away from this standing. It doesn't matter because everyone thinks it will be them. So the blows keep coming, and the heroes try to ignore the aching, burning, feeling that's filling up their bodies with every passing second now. Whenever they fall down - the number of falls are rising drastically now compared to a while ago - they just stand up, wipe the sweat of their brow and go back to fighting the seemingly endless battle. Even The Hulk is starting to grow tired of battling an enemy that seems like it will never stop firing back at them. Steve's shield is covered in so much dust and carnage that he can't even pick out he design on it anymore, Natasha is down to her very last packs of bullets, and Clint can't count the number of arrows he's had to reuse and reuse. No matter what they do or try, nothing is stopping the enemy they're up against. They need a miracle to save them now, and if they don't get one soon it'll be a miracle if any of them can make it out alive, let alone standing.

And that's when it happens. At first they're all too busy fighting to even realize it. But soon the droids are dropping left, right and center, so fast with every blink they make another ten have fallen. None of them knows who or what is helping them, but at the moment they don't care. With each fall of a droid they all gain new strength, one that comes from something they haven't had for hours now, hope. Steve picks up his shield and starts destroying the droids in single blows, while Thor summons powerful bolts of lightning and strikes out rows of them. Tony uses his newfound energy to fly around the fastest he has all day and starts blasting the droids into oblivion. Natasha and Clint start shooting down more and more droids than ever, and The Hulk starts smashing however man the can get his hands on. For those few hope filled moments, Steve thinks that they'll be able to get out of this free, all of them, and that everything will be okay. There is only thirty more droids tops and at this rate they'll all be down in less than five minutes. But then Clint's voice interrupts Steve's thoughts, and in a second all the air is sucked from his lungs.

"I found the sniper. He's up on top of a building a few ones down from me. He's doesn't seem like a threat, all he's doing is shooting down the droids."

When he hears that, Steve tries to keep his hopes down. He can't remember the last time he's felt this way. Where the world keeps spinning and time keeps moving and Steve is stuck in one spot. Unable to move or breathe - if he had to guess, he would probably say the first time he saw Bucky as the Winter Soldier was the last time he felt like this. Surely there are other people who would help them out. Surely there are other people out there who can snipe from that far away with that skill. Surely...but then Tony asks about the snipers appearance and time suddenly stops for Steve.

"He has long brown hair. I can't get a good look at him because of how he's positioned but it looks like he's got some sort of metal arm or something." Clint voice says through his earpiece and before any of the Avengers can blink Steve is already halfway to the building in the fastest sprint any of them has ever seen. It only seems like seconds for all of the other Avengers watching Steve race across the battle worn street, jumping over debris of buildings and fallen droids. For Steve however, those few seconds feels like an eternity, and with every passing second he feels like his chance in finding Bucky is closing faster and faster, with only one thought racing through his mind _'I've already lost him twice. I can't lose him again.'_ He may have just fought for hours in a battle that seemed like a lost cause but to Steve, fighting to get to Bucky before he loses him again is much harder.

In the short amount of time it takes for Tony to blast the rest of the remaining droids down Steve is already racing to climb up the stairs on the outside of the building, leaving all of the remaining Avengers to stare at Steve's retreating form, quietly whispered prayers for both men and the turnout of the encounter leaving their mouths into the windless air. Out of all of the Avengers, Natasha is the only one who truly knows the gravity of the situation. She was there when Steve first saw Bucky again. She was the one who watched Steve's strong super soldier facade slowing crumble as the words _"Who the hell is Bucky?"_ Left Bucky's lips and blew into the cold, biting air. Out of all of the Avengers, Natasha is the only one who was there to hold Steve while he cried. She is the only one who's heart is beating for both men out of time, she is the only one who is genuinely scared for Steve.

The bitter silence is broken when Tony speaks up, his voice low and quiet for once, "What's gonna happen to Steve if it's not the Bucky he knew up there?"

For a second it catches Natasha off guard. Tony never calls Steve by his first name, it's always one of his crazy made up nicknames. She's about to call him out on it when she realizes why he didn't us a nickname. Tony is actually scared about what will happen to Steve. She wants to ask him why he's scared, but she knows that Tony doesn't open up and show off his feelings easily, this is a big breakthrough for him and she doesn't want to ruin it. She'll ask him about it a few months down the road, when things are hopefully better, but for now she swallows her instinct to lie to him - to them - and says the only thing she can, "I don't know."

There is no reply in return, no wisecrack comeback about her not knowing an answer to something. She waits for a reply she doesn't expect, and when Steve's form is finally out of sight she sits down on the ground with a tired, heavy sigh. After a second Tony and everyone else quietly sit down on the marred ground beside each other, Clint pulling Natasha into his arms so she can rest her aching, worried head. They stay in that tense silence, no one saying anything to break it, with only the distant sounds of sirens and Tony's keyboard clicking as he writes a message to Pepper interrupting it. If it wasn't for the circumstances, Natasha would almost call it peaceful bliss.

It's not long before Steve is at the top of the building, and he swears that everyone can hear his heart beating through their earpieces. He's frozen in spot for a moment, because in front of him is Bucky. Not the Winter Soldier, but Bucky. His best friend, his life, his everything. Steve swears he's never known true fear until now, because Bucky could be back, the old one who would joke around with him and protected him from bullies when he wasn't even one hundred pounds, the one who was always there for Steve, who always stood by his side until the bitter end. The Bucky who followed Steve into war. Everything between them could go back to how it used to be in the old days, him and Bucky against the world, if the universe decides to give them one more shot.

He's still staring at the back of Bucky's head when he starts to turn around. Steve's breath catches in his throat when Bucky's fully turned around because the eye staring back at him aren't evil or angry or full of hate, they're Bucky's. Calm, peaceful and happy with just a bit of mischief mixed in. Steve's eyes wander over Bucky's face, taking in every tiny detail to make sure this isn't another dream, that it is Bucky standing right in front of him. His eyes wander down to Bucky's metal arm and for a second he's frozen in a flashback and being beaten to the point of almost death by that same arm all those months ago. But then he feels Bucky's gaze on him and Steve quickly snaps out of it, telling himself that it wasn't Bucky trying to kill him, it was The Winter Soldier, it was Hydra. Steve removes his eyes from the metal arm, shaking the memories of back then away and looks back up at Bucky's face.

Bucky goes to say something, but he never gets the chance. Before he can even get one word out Steve's mind finally works with his feet and he's running over to Bucky, crushing him in a hug so tight it feels like he plans to never let go. And it doesn't bother Bucky one bit. After the shock of Steve running and hugging him wears off, Bucky wraps his arms around in the same tight grip, too afraid to let Steve go either because _'Please don't let this be a dream I need him.'_ For months Bucky had had dreams about seeing Steve again, but whenever dream him would finally reach Steve the scene would change and suddenly Bucky would be on top of Steve punching him over and over again, with Steve saying _"I'm with ya till the end of the line."_ With every punch. Then dream Bucky would finally finish Steve and watch him as his lifeless body fell into the cold, unforgiving ocean below. Bucky would always wake up at that part, with Steve's name and a strangled panicked shout of _"No!"_ Leaving his lips, being greeted by just the sounds from outside his window and his heavy, hard breaths. Once the horrible memory of his dreams is over Bucky hugs Steve a little tighter.

Bucky doesn't realize he's crying until he feels his hot tears running down his cheeks and off his chin into Steve's shoulder. Steve feels the tears as they start falling onto his shoulder, and it's not until he feels wetness on his face that he realizes he's crying too. Bucky looks up at Steve, his eyes glistening with tears and his lip twitches into the tiniest smile. Neither of them say anything for the longest time, they just stare at the other in disbelief, holding each other like if they let go the other will disappear, and that they'll wake cold and alone in their own beds like they have time and time again. "Bucky..." Steve whispers hoarsely, his voice so low he's not even sure if Bucky heard it. But then Bucky's brow knits together waiting for Steve to continue. Steve goes to say something but no words will come out of his mouth. He kicks himself internally because there's so many things he wants to say to Bucky, _'I missed you'_, _'Never leave me again'_, _'I'm so glad you're back'_, and yet the only word he can mange to say is 'Bucky.'

Bucky notices how much Steve is struggling with his words and thoughts, but he doesn't say anything. He felt that way many times when he was The Winter Soldier, when there was so many things he wanted to ask or say, but couldn't form the words to do it. Instead he just looks at Steve and whispers back "Hey punk." A smile etching it's way onto his face. There's so many other things Bucky wants to say, to apologize for, but right now he's okay with the blissful, calming noise of their breathing mixed together, and he doesn't want to ruin it. There will be plenty of days to apologize for all he's down, or to tell Steve about everything that's happened.

In that moment, as they stay there on the rooftop standing still in each other's arms, Steve doesn't care about all the things he wants to say, because he'll have all the time in the world to do that. Right now, it's just about Bucky and nothing else. The battle he just fought in is soon lost in his mind, and everything else in the world is forgotten by one word, one thing, Bucky. Because no matter what's happened between them, what they've done to each other, what they've suffered without the other, they're back together now. And Steve swears he will never feel as complete or happy as he does now. He'll tell Bucky that later, a few days or weeks down the road when they talk about all the things that need to be said, but right now, Steve looks up at Bucky with his growing smile and says "I'm with ya till the end of the line." And when Bucky smiles back at him, Steve knows that everything will be okay.

"Till the end of the line."


End file.
